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Which shampoo should you use after a hair transplant?

What Post-Op Hair Transplant Shampoos Should Do

After your transplant, you need to be very gentle with your hair, and find a shampoo that will do the same.

Shampoos that are too strong could overwhelm the newly-transplanted follicles.

By “strong” we mean shampoos that are either too acidic or alkaline or contain harsh chemicals.

At the same time, after the first couple days have passed, you want shampoos that will help your follicles start to grow and flourish.

That’s a tricky tightrope to walk, and to get the most out of your post-op shampoo you should:

  • Not wash or shampoo your hair for the first 24 hours after the transplant, so as to ensure that the force of your fingers or water doesn’t dislodge any grafts
 
  • Wash with sponge baths the first few days
  • Use milder shampoos at first, with baby shampoos being a good example
Mild shampoos are recommended in the days after having a hair transplant
  • Shampoo your hair twice a week after the fifth day post-surgery
  • Look for shampoos that will strengthen and add nutrients to your hair, which have ingredients such as: Biotin, Caffeine, Copper peptides, Cysteine, Emu oil, Ketoconazole, L-arginine, Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM), Niacinamide, Ornithine, Procyanidin B2 (apple extract), Rooibos tea, and Taurine
  • Avoid shampoos with ingredients that may harm your hair, including petroleum and mineral oil (which can prevent your scalp from absorbing moisture, drying it out), sodium lauryl sulfate, (which can strip away natural oils), synthetic dyes (which can block follicles from growing properly and irritate the skin), and isopropyl alcohol (which can dry out your scalp and make hair follicles brittle)

Top Four Post-Op Hair Transplant Shampoos

  1. REVITA Hair Growth Stimulating Shampoo

One of the best things about this option from REVITA is that it contains so many of the most important nutrients for hair growth, including procyanidin B2, caffeine, taurine, ketoconazole, emu oil, and niacinamide.

It has a very well-rounded formula that promotes hair growth and fights “follicular dysfunction” and aging.

Pros:

      • Contains many key nutrients necessary for hair growth
      • Helps grow both healthy and compromised follicles
      • Activates your scalp from the first use
      • Improves hair density and thickness
      • Combats hair loss due to stress
      • Combats the effects of aging

Cons:

      • Some users have found the bottle hard to squeeze
      • Some users have found this shampoo lacking in resulting sheen and effectiveness

Revita shampoo after hair transplant

2. Hair Restoration Laboratories’ Professional Strength Hair Restore Shampoo

One of the biggest names on the hair transplant shampoo market, Hair Restoration Laboratories’ shampoo can halt dihydrotestosterone (DHT).

Hair Restoration Laboratories does not test their shampoo on animals, giving them a nice bonus from an ethical standpoint.

It is also rich in many ingredients that are beneficial for hair growth and health, including deionized water, aloe vera gel, rosemary, ginger, Vitamin E, lemon oil, flaxseed oil, various flower and plant extracts, honeysuckle, and cayenne pepper.

Pros:

  • Claims to stop DHT (the hormone that damages hair follicles)
  • Ethical production
  • Contains a ton of nutrients

Cons:

  • Some users have reported thin spots after using

after hair transplant shampoo

3. Shiny Leaf Active Formula DHT Blocker Shampoo and Conditioner Set

As the name would imply, you get two bottles for the price of one here, which is always a good thing, and a conditioner as well as a shampoo, allowing you to volumize and invigorate your new hair once it’s grown in a bit.

This is another product that features dihydrotestosterone blockers, so if you care about that, this may be a good option to consider.

Ingredients include hydrolyzed silk and keratin, castor oil, Vitamin E, shea butter, and avocado oil.

Pros:

  • Prevents hair strands from breaking
  • Combats shedding
  • Cleanses the scalp
  • Nourishes hair with a ton of nutrients
  • The shea butter in particular adds softness and sheen
  • Can work with color-treated hair

Cons:

  • Some users said their hair stayed brittle

shampoos for after hair transplants

4. Folligen Shampoo

This option comes from South Korea, and reviews thus far have been positive.

They have praised its ability to treat oily scalp and manage hair loss, both of which are “at the root” of the issue when it comes to hair transplants in the first place.

After using it, reviewers have found their hair grows back faster and thicker than before, with a silkier, smoother sheen.

Ingredients include biotin, niacin amide, dexpanthenol, and zinc pyrithione.

post hair transplant shampoo

Pros:

  • Gives rise to soft, smooth, silky hair
  • Helps hair grow back better
  • Includes a lot of important ingredients for hair growth

Cons:

  • Some users have received bottles with cracks at the bottom
The ideal post hair transplant shampoo should be mild and should ideally reduce circulating DHT.
Summary

Which One Is Best?

Each of the options on this list have their own benefits.

If you are looking to improve your hair’s silkiness and smoothness and overall appearance, the Folligen and Shiny Leaf are great options.

If nutrients are more important to you, then you’ll find the Hair Restoration Laboratories and REVITA rich with them.

Overall, the REVITA probably offers the best all-around value, though the Shiny Leaf and Folligen may be better options for giving your hair that extra oomph once it’s grown in a bit.

Still, with its formula being loaded with nutrients and the brand’s staying power, REVITA remains the all-around best choice for immediate post-hair transplant use.

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Comparing Female Hair Transplant Costs: The UK Versus Turkey

UK Female Hair Transplant Clinics and Costs

  1. Westminster Clinic

This outlet has offices in Stratford upon Avon near Birmingham and London on Harley Street.

At the London office, grafts are given according to the area of the head on which they are to be attached, with 1,000 to 2,000 grafts being offered depending on the region.

A consultation costs £75, and the graft breakdown is:

  • 500 FUE grafts: from £2000
  • 1,000 FUE/FUT grafts: from £4500
  • 1,500 FUE/FUT grafts: from £5000
  • 2,000 FUT grafts: from £6000
  • 3,000 FUE grafts: £9000

Expensive though that seems, however, a special package for female hair loss in particular (including a consultation, blood tests, and a review and initial hair loss treatments) costs only £1000.

  1. UK Hair Transplant Clinics

This company operates 16 locations across the UK, from Southampton, London, and Cardiff to Liverpool, Glasgow, and Edinburgh.

It does not specify per graft solutions but rather gives a general price range of just £25 a month for nonsurgical solutions, while hair transplants cost £3000 at the low end and £6000 at the high end, depending on how many grafts you request.

  1. The Private Clinic of Harley Street

As the name would imply, this is yet another hair clinic situated in Harley Street in London.

Once again, it does not specify per graft costs for women’s hair transplants, and instead emphasizes how every case and, thus, cost per patient is different.

They do, however, specify costs for consultations with their female transplant specialists Jane Mayhead (£147) as well as another at their offices in Leeds (Denise Knight, £127).

Instead of grafts, they price things at £2.50 per hair follicle, so 1,500 follicles’ worth of grafts could come out to roughly £3,750.

The average UK clinic cost for 1,500 to 2,500 grafts can thus run roughly £4,000 to £5,000 range, though it may be considerably less with special female hair transplant packages.

the private clinic Harley street

Turkey Female Hair Transplant Clinics Costs

  1. Yektin Bayer

This clinic, run by Dr. Yektin Bayer, is located in Istanbul. The prices start at just over £1,100 for 3,000 grafts.

  1. Longevita

A UK firm with Turkish offices in Istanbul, Longevita has specialized staff who coordinate flights from UK to Turkey for patients.

Their prices are partially subsidized by the Turkish government, starting at £1,350, and while they do not specify graft amounts (operating on a per case basis) they do offer special consultations for women.

Longevita website content
Longevita clinic
  1. Serdar Gorkem

This office in Ankara does not offer the same specialized services for women as opposed to men, but is more transparent about the cost per hair follicle than some other Turkish clinics.

Expect roughly £1.32 per hair follicle and anywhere from roughly £3,000 to £11,000 depending on the extensiveness of the procedure.

The average price for female hair transplants thus comes out to roughly £2,000, and can be considerably less with certain packages.

Evaluating the Difference Between UK and Turkish Clinics

  1. One of the most difficult aspects of evaluating female hair transplant costs both in the UK, as well as Turkey, is that one market will price things completely differently than others, as demonstrated above.

    That said, there is no denying costs are less expensive on paper at Turkish clinics.

    Turkey’s government supports their hair transplant industry quite heavily.

    The rate of exchange also heavily favors the pound, euro, and dollar to the Turkish Lira, with one Lira currently worth roughly 0.10 pounds.

    The cost of living is also lower in Turkey, thus further impacting the price.

    Hence why costs are often several hundred or thousands of pounds less in Turkey.

    The biggest expense is often the cost of your flight. Pre-COVID, a flight from London to a Turkish airport typically hovered in the £200 price range.

    One interesting wrinkle is how UK clinics often offer special female hair transplant packages.

    On the one hand, male or female, NHS estimates that hair transplant costs in the UK can vary from £1,000 and £30,000 definitely back up the idea that hair transplants are less expensive overall in Turkey.

    On the other hand, for those who feel more comfortable staying at home, health clinics in the UK that offer female-specific care packages can often reduce their rates at levels competitive to Turkish clinics, and all without the need to travel, especially amidst COVID.

    While Turkish packages are overall less expensive and UK clinics may have an edge in female hair transplant-specific packages, the ultimate choice for which option best fits your price range and comfort level is up to you.

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What is the success rate of hair transplants [2021 findings]

FUE vs FUT | Which has greater success rate?

Hair transplants may be a great way to feel younger and more confident, but they don’t come inexpensive.

What’s more, US, UK, Canadian, Australian, and EU healthcare plans, whether they are private or government-run, typically won’t consider hair transplants “medically necessary” and thus won’t cover them.

the difference between FUE and FUT
Explaining the difference between FUT and FUE

There are exceptions (notably medical conditions such as chemo or reconstructive surgery after an accident) but otherwise, hair transplants are expensive, which means the stakes for success or failure are incredibly high.

You don’t want all those hundreds or thousands of dollars or pounds to be for nothing, which makes it that much more important to find procedures that maximize your chances for success and minimize those of failure.

There are two distinct types of hair transplants, Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) and Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT).

Between the two of them, FUT tends to offer a greater yield of hair, while FUE tends to leave fewer seams and is thus easier to make appear “natural.”

Both have their pros and cons, but neither will count for much if the grafts themselves do not survive long.

With that in mind, let’s compare the survival rates for FUE and FUT along with some graft care strategies to help you decide what you can do to maximize your chances of getting the maximum value for your investment.

Hair Transplant Success and Failure [actual numbers]

One of the biggest quandaries facing those looking for a hair transplant is the fact that there is a huge average range of effectiveness.

While they tend to be more effective than over-the-counter treatments, there are several factors mitigating that success, ranging from the quality and type of the treatment to the skill of the surgeon to the region on your body from which the hair grafts are taken.

Success rates average out to between 60% and 80%, though as we’ll see, that can be considerably higher for certain techniques.

However, anywhere from 10% to 90% of transplanted follicles can fall out.

The big caveat with that, however, is that in a successful transplant these fall out as new, natural follicles grow in to replace them.

Still, it’s a number to be aware of when making short-term plans after a transplant.

 

Possible reasons for hair transplant failure

Potential reasons for a failed transplant include:

  • Poor Surgical skills: One of the big reasons you’ll see a huge range of prices for hair transplants is the fact that there is an enormous variation in the skill level of surgeons all over the world.

     

    While hair transplants aren’t inexpensive and you always want to save money, the old adage is also true – you get what you pay for.

    Chances are, if a treatment sounds too inexpensive and too good to be true, chances are it is.

    Trained surgeons with years or even decades of experience will charge accordingly, and those are the experts you want in charge of reviving your hairline.

  • Poor Post-Op Care: We’ll get into this more later, but suffice it to say that even a good surgeon’s work can be spoiled if you don’t take care of the newly-implanted hair follicles properly.

 

  • Not Getting the Right Treatment: A big misconception about FUE, FUT, and other hair transplant methods is that some are “better” than others. While there are distinct advantages and disadvantages to these methods, they each have their place.

However, not every treatment is suitable for every scalp condition.

If you try and force a treatment that isn’t ideal for your scalp, it’ll be like trying to force a square peg into a round hole – a bad fit, and you shouldn’t be surprised if it doesn’t stick.

You must pick the right hair transplant technique for you, not what is popular,

  • Poor Graft Handling: If the graft in question isn’t handled properly, it can dry out.

 

FUE Versus FUT Survival Rate

Another good aspect of FUE is the fact that it features a high graft survival rate, with the average hovering somewhere around 90%.

For FUT, however, that rate can climb even higher to 95% to 98%.

However, as mentioned above, not every treatment is suitable for every patient, and those rates are averages.

FUT success rate
FUT tends to yield higher graft survival than FUE

You will also notice that both of those figures are well above the 60% to 80% success rate mentioned above.

While that overall average is dragged down in part by subpar and outdated methods with higher failure rates, it may also be lowered by patients getting treatments with otherwise-high success rates that are not suitable for their scalps.

You’ll thus want to talk with your surgeon and listen to their recommendations as to which method is best for you.

The importance of that suggestion again underlines the essential role skilled surgeons play in the process.

Post-Op Considerations

Another huge consideration in determining whether your surgery is a success or failure is, as mentioned, how attentive you are to your scalp’s post-op needs.

post hair transplant care
Post hair transplant care is vital for the success of your procedure

Good post-op scalp caretaking includes:

  • Avoiding strenuous work for at least one week after the transplant, this includes running and lifting heavy weights
  • Avoiding saunas, sun baths, and other sources of extreme heat for at least three weeks
  • Avoiding sexual activity for at least one week
  • Avoiding head coverings for at least a week so as to let your new hair follicles breathe
  • Washing your hair gently after the third day; take care not to apply too much pressure to the new follicles
  • Sleeping with a neck pillow for the first five to seven nights after the procedure; ideally, your head should be at a 45° angle, and kept elevated so as to avoid swelling
  • Eating healthy, with plenty of veggies, natural oils, and Vitamin B; alcohol, coffee, and fast food should be avoided in the first days or weeks after the procedure

Given the high stakes, you want to do everything in your power to increase the already-good chances of your hair transplant taking root and giving you the full, natural-looking head of hair you want and deserve.

can hair transplant turn grey
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Do Hair Transplants Go Grey?

The Shock of Grey Hair

When you spend the time and money to renew your hair with a transplant, you probably imagine a youthful shock of brown or black or vibrant blond or ginger, which can make grey strands all the more shocking.

However, a hair transplant can, indeed, turn grey – largely due to your genetics.

Grey hair is genetic and, as we’ll see, is literally rooted in your follicles’ makeup.

And if you’re thinking that you can get around your own grey hair by getting younger, non-grey hair from a “donor,” think again.

Your scalp will not accept foreign hair follicles, meaning that to have a hair transplant at all, you need enough extra hair elsewhere on your body in the first place.

As such, if your hair is already starting to go grey, you’ll likely have to contend with that in your new hair transplant.

After all,, all hair on your body shares the same genes – i.e. your genes.

How Hair Transplants Go Grey

Grey hair is due to melanin production slowing down.

Though some people have naturally grey hair, most people experience a slowdown in melanin production with age, leading to a person’s natural hair colour giving way to grey.

The two most popular types of hair transplants practiced today are FUE and FUT.

Both involve implanting grafts of hair into your scalp, with buds taking root and natural hair eventually pushing out and replacing the initial grafts.

These grafts often come from other parts of your body (i.e., chest hair, back hair, etc.).

Melanin production is literally “rooted” in the graft; if the transplanted graft comes from a region where your hair has already experienced melanin slowdown and gone grey, the same will hold true for the newly implanted graft.

The graft may not go grey immediately, but the clock is already ticking.

hair transplant turning grey
The process of hair turning grey is mostly genetic

The Truth About Grey Hair

There are a couple glimmers of hope for restoring natural hair color.

For example, platelet-rich plasma has shown some promise in some treatments in restoring melanin and thus natural pigmentation to patients’ hair.

By and large, however, hair that has already begun to turn grey is likely to continue turning grey.

However, just because your hair is grey doesn’t mean that it isn’t healthy.

Grey hair can be perfectly healthy and suitable for transplantation.

Age isn’t necessarily a barrier to successful hair transplants, either, with patients as old as 80 experiencing success.

Transplanted hair can easily be dyed, so all it takes is a hair transplant and a tube of dye to give you the healthy head of hair and vibrant colour you’ve wanted for years.

You do need to make sure that the transplant has fully taken root first and that the freshly implanted follicles are healthy and have plenty of room to breathe.

It is thus advisable that you wait a few weeks after your procedure to make sure everything is okay before you start adding dye.

Still, while grey hair may be a shock at first, there is no reason transplanted and then dyed grey hairs can’t look shockingly good and natural with the help of the latest hair transplant techniques and dyes.

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Can Hair Transplants Fall Out?

Hair transplants can seem like a lot of trouble and a costly antidote to baldness, and that’s because they are.

The good news is when they work, they can work wonders and the technology and price point is getting better.

The bad news is when they don’t, it can all unravel – almost literally, as your hair transplants fall out.

That said, while stress and other factors can cause hair transplants to fall out,

it doesn’t have to be that way so to avoid a bad hair day (and thousands of dollars down the drain),

let’s talk transplant longevity and healthy scalps.

In this article, we will answer the interesting question; can hair transplants fall out?

can hair transplants fall out?

Shock loss

Shock loss can cause hair transplants to fall out, although this is entirely normal and expected.

Firstly, it must be said that most hair transplants do indeed stay in place for a long time, if not permanently.

Your mileage may vary depending on the type of transplant and professionalism of the doctor but with a modern hair transplant performed by a qualified surgeon.

You shouldn’t be afraid that it’ll be an all too “temporary” investment.

Hair transplants can fall out temporarily, usually very shortly after the hair transplant procedure.

Shock Hair Loss is the most common culprit here.

This typically occurs between two to eight weeks after the initial hair graft in an FUE or FUT transplant and involves “shedding” of the transplanted hairs.

However, this isn’t nearly as bad as it sounds as it simply means that your grafts have entered “a resting phase,” which means that they’re healthy, and have taken root, and can grow fresh follicles.

That said, when hair transplants do go bad, cheapness and unprofessional work are often to blame.

In contrast to more natural FUE and FUT hair grafts, hair plugs can pop out more easily.

While it’s normal for natural hair to shed a bit and hair transplants will shed slightly as new follicles push out the initial planted ones, you should not be losing a ton of transplanted hair.

If you are, then consider that scarring, poor grafts, stress, and trauma can all make a hair transplant go bad.

Loss of non-permeant hair

Another way transplanted hair can be lost is the loss of non-permeant hair.

If the surgeon had taken donor hair from an area of the scalp that was bound to thin, then it is inevitable that hair will eventually be lost.

This is why most quality surgeons chose hair from the back and sides of the scalp, because this is likely to be permeant hair.

Hair from top of the head or crown is usually very risky in terms of donor hair.

How Long Do Hair Transplants Last?

Given the fact that a FUT hair transplant can cost hundreds of dollars in Greece or Turkey and thousands in the US, UK, and Canada, you might naturally wonder about the lifetime of the treatment.

Thankfully, when done properly, hair transplants can last the rest of your life.

The reason for that is that when it comes to hair loss, the fault resides in your follicles and genetics, not your scalp.

Think of hair follicles as seeds and your scalp as fertile soil.

Even if a seed or the stalk that’s grown from it has died off, new seeds can grow anew as long as the soil remains fertile.

The same holds true for your scalp: as long as it’s healthy, transplanting new hair follicles when done properly, should function the same as planting seeds.

That’s why hair transplants don’t just give you a temporary new head of hair but help you naturally regrow hair after a while, hence why you “shed” that initial shock of hair.

 

factors that mke hair transplants expensive

Tips on protecting transplanted hair

Of course, you naturally want to do everything that you can to preserve your hair follicles and maintain the integrity of your hair transplant.

One of the most important steps you can take is to use medication to stimulate growth, produce extra DHT, heal graft wounds, or otherwise bolster your hair transplant.

Minoxidil and Finasteride are popular examples of medications used for this effect.

The timing of your hair transplant can also have a major impact on how well it minimizes hair loss and maximizes the effect.

Tempting as it may be to have a hair transplant the instant your hair starts to thin or fall out, it is actually better to wait until the rate of hair loss stabilizes.

Doing so can allow the graft to be done with greater care, ensuring that you’re covering every area that’s necessary so you don’t have some areas “fixed” while others continue to “shed.”

Finally, volumizers and similar products can help give some depth and color to your transplants.

By heeding these hair transplant tips, you can get the most out of them and make them last longer.

Shock loss and the loss of non-permeant hair are the two main ways hair transplants can be lost. But both can be managed and avoided.
Summary